The invention relates generally to systems for monitoring of mechanical machine systems. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for configuring, processing, and presenting machine condition monitoring information.
Various systems and components may be used to monitor and protect industrial equipment and machines. Depending upon the type of mechanical system, the monitoring and protection components may generate various signals representative of dynamic conditions. The signal-generating components may be sensors and transducers positioned on points of interest of the machine systems. The signals are applied to monitoring circuits that are somewhat remote from the points of interest, and are used to analyze the performance of the machine system. Machine systems thus instrumented may include rotary machines, fans/blowers, pumps, assembly lines, production equipment, material handling equipment, power generation equipment, as well as many other types of machines of varying complexity.
The rotating components of machine system require lubrication, which is important to optimize efficiency and performance of the system. To ensure reliable operation and prevent downtime, the system lubricant may be changed on a periodic basis. For example, bearing lubricant in a machine system may be changed every 30 days. These time dependent lubricant change intervals may not reflect the actual usage of a machine system lubricant and can result in lubricant change that does not match actual lubricant wear and tear. Specifically, an infrequently-used machine system may not require a lubricant change as frequently as a high usage machine system. Therefore, in some instances, a lubricant change cycle that is time dependent may not change the system lubricant at the correct point of the lubricant life.